Topaz is the Birthstone for November and the 4th and 23rd wedding anniversary stone.

The Egyptians said that topaz was colored with the golden glow of the mighty sun god Ra. The Romans associated topaz with Jupiter, who also is the god of the sun. Legend says that it dispels all enchantment and helps to improve eyesight. The Greeks believed that it had the power to increase strength and make the wearer invisible. Topaz was also said to change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink and curative powers waxed and waned with the phases of the moon. It was said to cure insomnia, asthma and hemorrhages. The name comes from the same island that Peridot originally came from – Topazios or Zabarad in the Red Sea. In Sanskrit, the word topas or tapax means fire. In medieval times nobility and ruling classes were given engraved topaz as a token of loyalty and friendship.

The name for Imperial Topaz originated in nineteenth century Russian because the Ural Mountains were the leading source. Ownership of the gem was restricted to the royal family.

Today most people think of blue when they think of topaz and yellow topaz is often mistaken for the common citrine or smoky quartz.

American Golden

The most famous topaz is a giant stone set in the Portuguese Crown called the Braganza. The Smithsonian has many large specimens including the biggest faceted gem (by weight) ever recorded known as the “American Golden” It weighs 22,982 carats or 10.14 pounds.

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Topaz is the state gemstone of Texas and Utah.

Source

The Ouro Preto area of Brazil is the major commercial source of imperial and red topaz. The Ghundao Hill area of Pakistan produces a naturally pink to red topaz sometimes called “cyclamen pink”. Brazil and Sri Lanka are the most significant sources of treatable colorless topaz. Topaz comes from Australia, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar, Namibia, Nigeria and the USA as well. The primary source of gem-quality topaz are pegmatites. Because it grows in an orthorhombic crystal structure (crystals are typically elongated with strong parallel grooves or striations, parallel to their length) it has weaker bonds between the atoms in one direction which causes cleavage. A sharp blow or extreme pressure or sharp temperature changes might cause it to split along the cleavage plane.

Properties

• Toughness – poor due to cleavage
• Stability
• Reaction to Heat – might cause fading.
• Reaction to Light – might cause fading.
• Reaction to Chemicals – not resistant to sulphuric acid.
• Care during polishing and setting because of danger of cleavage
• Rarities include Red, Pink and Imperial or Precious Topaz
• Most popular cuts are emerald or step cut, scissor cut, cabochon and brilliant cut particularly for colorless Topaz.
• Confused with Apatite, aquamarine, brazilianite, chrysoberyl, citrine, danburite, diamond, fluorite, kunzite, orthoclase, phenakite, ruby, sapphire, spinel, tourmaline, zircon and precious beryl. Blue synethetic topaz is known. Yellow heat-treated amethyst are falsely called “gold topaz” or “Madeira topaz” so real topaz is sometimes called precious topaz to distinguish them.
• Enhancements –
• Blue Topaz – depending on type of treatment and starting material, it comes in many shades of blue.



• London Blue
• Swiss Blue
• Super blue
• Maxi Blue
• Sky Blue
• Blue starts usually as colorless and treated with gamma rays or high-energy electron radiation. This is permanent. The stones must be quarantined from three months to a year to allow radiation to dissipate.
• Heat treatment is usually used on yellow to create pink and red hues. This is also permanent.
• Surface Diffusion – stones are heated in cobalt-rich powder which produces color about 0.5mm deep at the surface.
• Coating – coating colorless topaz with microscopic layer of metallic oxide compound by heating the stone in a vacuum-sealed container with metal oxides to form a vapor coating. This causes an optical effect of visible spectral hues. The coating is not durable but can resist daily wear but abrasive cleaners and buffing wheels remove it. It is safe in ultrasonic, alcohol and mild soap.

Synthetics – glass, synthetic spinel, flame fusion, flux, hydrothermal, Czocharalski-pulled, doublets

Care

• Cleaning methods
• Ultrasonic – avoid
• Steamer – avoid
• Warm soapy water – safe
• Pickling Solution – see above in Reaction to Chemicals